The Fernley baseball coaching staff is looking smart right now thanks to the effort of Cody Wagner.
Wagner pitched a complete game six-hitter and allowed just one earned run as Fernley opened the NIAA/U.S. Bank 3A State Championships with a 5-2 win over Boulder City on Thursday in Mesquite.
Fernley will play Manogue at 10 a.m. today with the winner advancing to the championship round. Manogue advanced with an 8-6 win over Lowry, which was later eliminated in a 15-4 loss to Boulder City.
Fernley coach Cory Sanderg said Boulder City's 15-run effort against Lowry made Wagner's performance even more impressive.
"Considering that Lowry has some great pitching that tells me how well he threw," Sandberg said.
Wagner struck out five and walked just one. Boulder City's unearned run came on Fernley's only error. "We played a very good defensive game," Sandberg said.
Sandberg said he considered going with ace Matt Lambeth right up to game time. But having Lambeth at shortstop also provides Fernley with an advantage, Sandberg said.
"It paid off," said Sandberg about going with Wagner. "I think we made the right decision. Defensively we are nust much better with him on the mound."
Lambeth will start against Manogue, but it's unclear if the Vaqueros will have to face Miner ace Kevin Jepsen, who had to come into the game to nail down the win against Lowry.
Lambeth beat Manogue last year as Fernley won the state title. "He beat them down here last year," Sandberg said. "Anything can happen down here. They know what they're capable of."
Fernley didn't fully take advantage of its 15 hits against Boulder City, but did score four runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead. All nine hitters in Fernley's lineup got a hit.
The Vaqueros took a 1-0 lead in the first when Andy Rupley singled, moved up on Wagner's sacrafice bunt and scored on a single by Kyle Davis.
In the fifth, Adam Schwab doubled, Brian Reeder singled and Tony Selden, Tim Hines, Wagner and Derek Henry all had RBI singles during the rally.
Schwab and Reeder both had three hits, Rupley and Wagner each had two hits and Lambeth added a hit for Fernley.
